New York Rangers Need Rick Nash And Martin St. Louis And They Need Them Now
If there was ever a time to break out of their slumps, it's now.
The New York Rangers got Martin St. Louis to avoid the problem they're running into right now. A lack of goals. After a 1-0 loss that dropped the Rangers into the second and final wildcard spot, it's becoming increasingly obvious the Rangers have a finishing problem.
As I wrote in the notes Monday, a finishing problem is very different from an offense problem, even though both lead to the same thing: A lack of goals.
So, back the point at the top of the article. This is exactly why the Rangers got Martin St. Louis in this year's trade deadline and Rick Nash two years ago. Oh, both have their excuses, of course. Nash missed the first part of the year with a concussion and took some time to recover. He went on a massive tear right before the Olympics, scoring 11 goals in as many games, but has since only been able to muster five points in his last 13 games.
St. Louis can be forgiven for taking some time to get used to his new surroundings, but expectations weren't unreasonable when people hoped for more than two assists through seven games. He's had chances, which is far better than not creating anything at all, but at some point those chances need to light the lamp. The same can be said for Nash.
Both players simply need to be better. The Rangers know it, the fans know it and I'm sure they both know it. Right now, however, they're not the only problems. Mats Zuccarello hasn't been the same since the Olympics. For that matter, neither has Derick Brassard or Benoit Pouliot. And if you take away his hat trick against Winnipeg and his no-goal-goal against San Jose, Hagelin hasn't exactly lit up the scoresheet either. Brad Richards has reverted back to last year's form in some ways, which doesn't help either.
Some players are finding some offense. Chris Kreider, Derek Stepan and Ryan McDonagh being three of them. But the reality is the Rangers simply aren't scoring goals, and while it's not 100% on Nash and St. Louis alone, they are the superstars so they need to shoulder most of the blame.
The time for scoring starts now. The Rangers have dug themselves into a nice little hole with their recent play. Hopefully St. Louis and Nash can drag them out of it.
That's why they're here after all.
